Area Agency on Aging and Veterans Service Office Announce Partnership to Provide Services to Senior Veterans

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Kalamazoo County Area Agency on Aging has established the Senior Veteran Support Program in partnership with the Kalamazoo County Veterans Service Office (VSO). This program utilizes Senior Millage funding to provide hearing, dental, and vision services to Veterans over 60 not covered by health or service benefits.

“We’re an aging nation, and we need to ensure that all older adults – including veterans of the armed forces – have the needed support to age in place and to continue being a part of the Kalamazoo
community,” said Don Saldia, Area Agency on Aging Division Manager. “Even with benefits, these essential services needed for quality of life are still financially difficult to access – this holds true for our veterans. The Kalamazoo County Senior Millage is proud to honor our veterans in partnership with the Veterans Service Office.”

Through this partnership, the Area Agency on Aging will provide the VSO $500,000 to connect Kalamazoo’s senior veterans to this program. From April 2022 to March 2023, 64% of clients served by the VSO were over the age of 60. The VSO also saw an increase in assistance requests for existing programs by almost 800% since 2019.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care services provide essential benefits for those who qualify. However, among senior veterans in our community, we see a high demand for services not covered by VA Health Care and a lack of resources to provide them,” said Lauren King, Veterans Service Office Supervisor. “Access to vision aids, dental services, and more are extremely limited for those who don’t qualify for these benefits through VA Health Care. This partnership will remove barriers to access to services that improve the quality of life and increase independence for our veterans.”

The Kalamazoo County Area Agency on Aging oversees the Senior Millage, which provides funding to keep older adults aging at home with quality of life. The Senior Millage assisted over 7,300 Kalamazoo County Seniors in 2022.

Community members can call (269) 373-5361 to access the Senior Veteran Support Program. For more information about the Senior Millage, please visit www.kalcounty.com/seniormillage.